lagataproductions@gmail.com
La Gata Productions is run by Anna Demianenko (Director and Producer).
About:
Anna Demianenko (Marhanets, Ukraine) having obtained a pedagogical degree, developed her aspirations as a film director through a 2-year directing and writing course at the national TV broadcaster INTER: Interschool. Recognizing her true passion lay in film directing, she followed courses across Ukraine to deepen her film knowledge. One of these courses included a workshop with Mark W. Travis during the Odessa Film Festival. In 2013, she won a grant from Dovzhenko Film Studio, which gave her the opportunity to direct her debut professional short film, KEEP A FIGHT. The comedy film achieved popularity in Ukraine due to its renowned cast, travelling at numerous festivals globally and winning the Best Film award at the Svitlo Film Festival in 2015.
After finishing that project, Anna decided to explore making documentaries. Being fascinated by Spanish culture, she directed a short documentary about a bull festival. She completed the film in 2016, and it was then shown at different festivals around the world.
In 2017, Anna relocated to the Netherlands, continuing working on fiction projects. Her first Dutch film was focused on the family story with all-female cast. This shift symbolized the impact of the Netherlands on Anna's mindset. Having grown up in a male-dominated society where women's voices were often dismissed, Anna embarked on a transformative journey, shifting from male-dominated stories with feeble female characters to narratives driven by strong women, further reflected in her predominantly female crew. Her short film WINE (2021) was selected to the festivals worldwide, winning a Youth Jury Award at the Asti Film Festival (Italy). During the filming process, Anna employed long and limited takes, giving her actresses a theatrical experience. Using her past involvement in theatre during her teenage years, Anna discovered that this method was extremely useful for gaining a deeper understanding of the characters.
In her upcoming project, Anna sought to refine her techniques, building upon the director’s vision used in her prior short film. Collaborating with all-female non-actors using improvisations and predominantly female crew, she tackled the themes of bullying in the short film ROUNDS, recently concluding post-production and set to debut on the festival circuit in 2024.
As a producer, she made a successful short film CONVOI EXCEPTIONNEL (2019, Nederlands Film Festival, Debut Competition). In addition to her production and directing work, she works as a manager for forums and labs at film hub CineSud. Moreover, Anna is organizing different events for Ukrainian refugees: e.g. film screenings, gatherings and an acting workshop in her city.
Filmography:
Director:
2023 - ROUNDS, narrative short (in post-production).
2021 - Wine, narrative short (completed).
2016 - Caged, documentary short.
2015 - Keep a Fight, narrative short.
Producer:
2019 - Convoi Exceptionnel, narrative short, directed by Genio de Groot.
Production Manager:
2018 - Voor Galg en Rad, narrative short, directed by Paul Haans and Jeroen Wielheesen.
Talent Manager:
CineSud Shorts 2018
2018-2019 - Soeverein, narrative short, directed by Remy Kooi.
2018-2019 - The Salmon And You, narrative short, directed by Raynor Arkenbout.
2018-2019 - Wild, narrative short, directed by Jan Verdijk.
Events:
Ongoing - Euregion Film Forum, Festival Manager (CineSud.nl)
Ongoing - SHIFT Film Forum, Festival Manager (CineSud.nl)
2018-2018 - Pochatok Film Festival, General Producer.
2017 - Marhanets Film Festival, General Producer.
2017 - KieVino Film Festival, Executive Producer.
2016 - UFilmFest. Executive Producer.